Natixis Lowers Holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM)

Natixis cut its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 487,094 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66,525 shares during the quarter. Natixis’ holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $58,622,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,781 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 3,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners raised its stake in Philip Morris International by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 3,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cravens & Co Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Philip Morris International by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 10,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.63% of the company’s stock.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE PM opened at $163.08 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $153.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $253.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.16, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.38 and a 12-month high of $165.00.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.49 by $0.06. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 7.89% and a negative return on equity of 120.08%. Equities analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Philip Morris International’s payout ratio is 119.73%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Andre Calantzopoulos sold 40,643 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.06, for a total value of $6,058,245.58. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 561,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,674,681.94. This represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yann Guerin sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total value of $378,200.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 30,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,584,994.24. This trade represents a 7.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 131,822 shares of company stock worth $19,655,585 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on PM. Argus raised shares of Philip Morris International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays lifted their target price on Philip Morris International from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Philip Morris International from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $150.78.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.